Ilkley

Ilkley is a town in the metropolitan borough of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England, built on the south bank and valley of the River Wharfe in Wharfedale.

History

The area around Ilkley has been continuously settled since at least the early Bronze Age, around 1800 BC; cup and ring markings, and swastika carvings dating to the period have been found on rock outcrops, and archaeological remains of dwellings are found on the moor. The Romans built a fort in AD 79, which some suggest was named Olicana (although the name is not universally accepted), on a site now near the centre of the town, but with the exception of some few sections of wall, it is now covered partly by the Elizabethan Manor House Art Gallery and Museum and partly by All Saints' Church.

Related Topics:
Bronze Age - Swastika - Romans - Olicana - Elizabethan

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Three Anglo-Saxon crosses formerly in the churchyard of All Saints, but now removed into the church to prevent further erosion, date to the 8th century.

Related Topics:
Anglo-Saxon - 8th century

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Although relatively inaccessible in the 17th and 18th centuries, the town gained a minor reputation for the efficacy of its water. In the nineteenth century it became established as one of the more fashionable spa towns, with the construction a mile to the east of the town of the vast Ben Rhydding Hydro or Hydropathic Establishment in 1843-4. Tourists flocked here to 'take the waters' and bathe in the cold water spring. The eastern part of the town is now called Ben Rhydding, after the Hydro, despite it having been demolished many years ago; the area was formerly known as Wheatley.

Related Topics:
Spa town - Hydropathic Establishment - 1843-4

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Development based on the Hydro movement, and upon the establishment of a number of convalescent homes and hospitals was accelerated by the establishment of a railway connections from Leeds and Bradford in 1865. Charles Darwin was undergoing hydropathic treatment at Wells House when his Origin of Species was published in 1859. Other famous Victorian visitors to the town included Madame Tussaud. Today, the only remaining Hydro is the cottage known as White Wells House, which can be seen on the edge of the famous moor over-looking the town.

Related Topics:
Charles Darwin - Origin of Species - Madame Tussaud

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In the 20th century Ilkley has become a relatively wealthy dormitory town for the nearby cities of Leeds and Bradford.

Related Topics:
Leeds - Bradford

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In 1967 Jimi Hendrix played at the Troutbeck Hotel (now a nursing home). However the show was cut short by the police. The local newspaper headline read: Pop Fans Ran Amok in Hotel: They ripped off doors, pulled out electrical fittings and smashed furniture after a police sergeant stepped on stage and stopped Hendrix half-way through a number.

Related Topics:
1967 - Jimi Hendrix

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